


Things That Go Bump In The Night

by Numanum



Category: Shadowhunters (TV), Shadowhunters (TV) RPF, The Shadowhunter Chronicles - All Media Types, The Shadowhunter Chronicles - Cassandra Clare
Genre: Angst and Humor, Asexual Raphael Santiago, First Kiss, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Humor, Getting Together, M/M, Pansexual Simon Lewis, Saphael, Sharing a Bed, Sharing a Room, brief angst, stuck together
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-16
Updated: 2019-07-16
Packaged: 2020-06-27 23:28:59
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,467
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19799989
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Numanum/pseuds/Numanum
Summary: “But I’m totally a part of the things-that-go-bump-in-the-night club, I’m a vampire!" Simon protests while they’re sitting in the gold room, side by side with their heads thrown back and their joined hands between them. He hears more than sees Raphael sink lower into the golden sofa, probably wearing his usual look of misery. “There is no such thing, Simon,” Raphael says once again, sounding absolutely done with him and ready to just end it all. “But-” Raphael cuts him off when he slowly turns his head to look at him with poorly concealed thoughts of homicide written all over his face.“The only things that go ‘bump in the night’ around here are the Shadowhunters during their unscheduled visits and you when you run into the same wall every day because of your shitty stealth!”(Where Simon and Raphael are stuck with each other for a while, and certain things are brought to Simon's attention.)





	Things That Go Bump In The Night

The first hour that he is stuck to Raphael- that Raphael is stuck to him- is spent in uncomfortable silence as Simon continues to jerk their hands, hoping against all odds that they’ll separate with each new attempt. They don't, but Simon has always been a hopeful person. And sure, that hope was almost crushed when Magnus had admitted that he wasn't sure what to do, but it still existed. The smallest sliver imaginable remained. Raphael had managed to keep it together for a while, gritting his teeth and dragging Simon out of Magnus' apartment. But apparently it was all a facade because, upon returning to the hotel, he had ranted for half an hour in Spanish. He looked exhausted when Simon, who doesn't know a lick of Spanish (when school gave him a choice between spanish or computers, his choice was obvious. Said choice was really making him kick himself though), simply gave him a tentative thumbs up. After getting it out of his system, Raphael had just retired them both to his office to he could get something clan related done.

He gave up on doing paperwork almost immediately after his hand was tugged so hard that his pen was jerked across the page, leaving a long line of dark ink. Simon is ninety percent sure that the only reason he wasn't maimed for that was Raphael not wanting to get blood on the document as well. Now, he just leans his elbows on his desk with a tired expression and stares at their joined hands with his free hand supporting the weight if his head. Simon sits in what everyone else has dubbed the ‘interrogation chair’, on the other side of the desk, and does the same. With the way that their hands are together in the center of the desk, it probably looks like Simon is trying to comfort him, like something other than _mutual dignity_ has been lost.

Simon clears his throat awkwardly, “do you… want to go do something? Like, I love staring at your hand- it’s a nice hand, but-”

Raphael shuts him up with a look of pure disdain as he rises and carefully maneuvers around the desk, even going so far as to raise their jointed hands nearly over his head so that Simon doesn’t knock anything off of it. The intention of the action is extremely obvious and patronizing, and Simon kind of wants to knock something over out of spite. He briefly wonders if this is what cats feel like before they slide random breakable shit off of the table as their owners watch on in horror. Raphael waits for Simon to stand, and he quickly decides that he enjoys having all of his limbs attached to his body, so he’ll spare himself and not knock anything off of Raphael’s desk. Especially when they’re connected and he can’t escape.

He tries, he _really does try_ , to walk out of the room carefully, but between one second and the next he’s suddenly tripping over the stupidly fancy carpet, hitting something, and listening to that something shatter as it hits the hardwood instead of the carpet because _why wouldn’t it_.

The expression Raphael has on his face is absolutely judgey as he flicks his eyes from the broken, and probably _priceless_ , vase to a sheepish, and probably _dead_ , Simon. Simon scrambles to his feet and nearly knocks something else over, but catches himself and balances on one foot. He looks up to see Raphael’s expression has shifted to one so tired he almost looks forty. This time, it’s Raphael who tugs on their joined hands- likely hoping for them so just pop free of each other, as he leads them out of the room while tiredly muttering in Spanish under his breath.

Simon is still in one piece, the broken vase can’t relate, and he follows Raphael out of the room with exaggerated caution, just so Raphael _knows_ he’s being careful. The look that he gets for his efforts tells him Raphael _knows_ he’s being an idiot. The look intensifies after Raphael has to save him from walking into a wall, and Simon realizes something that was actually pretty obvious:

_Raphael cares more than people think, even when they break his stuff and would deserve a good wall kiss. Or maybe he just didn't want his wall to be damaged (again). Simon has enough faith in his boss to leave both options as the answer._

* * *

The second hour is spent by Raphael tugging Simon closer every time they walk past anything that isn’t bolted down. It’s a little insulting, but it’s also completely understandable so he lets it slide, if only for the hilariously put upon expression Raphael is wearing every time he pulls Simon closer. Raphael almost looks like a tired businessman whose child is dragging him around Disney World when he would rather be literally anywhere else. It’s great. They take a trip to the kitchen to get blood after Simon complains that he's hungry, and that is _significantly_ less great:

Simon is _right-handed,_ like all _trust worthy_ people are. Raphael is _left-handed,_ which Simon thinks explains a _lot_. The issue with this is that it’s their dominant hands that are stuck together, and Simon isn’t as cool as Raphael, who can apparently write with his other hand. Simon can barely _open doors_ with his left hand, even the ones that have the handles that you just have to push down on.

That being said, the only one who is surprised when Raphael passes a glass of blood to Simon and it just- _falls_ is Raphael. The look of surprise on his face while he stares at the blood and shattered glass on the floor is one Simon will cherish for the rest of his, probably very short, life. Immediately after Raphael gets over his shock, he is holding Simon’s other hand and bringing it closer to his face to inspect it. “Lo que está mal con él? What is wrong with it?” he looks mildly irritated as he inspects Simon’s hand and, when he doesn't find anything, starts shaking it in Simon's face. Simon gapes back at him, “what? Nothing is _wrong_ with it! I’m just not a lefty,” he explains as he jerks his hand out of Raphael’s careful grip. If possible, Raphael looks even more irritated. “You… can’t use _both_?” he asks slowly as his eyebrows climb up his forehead, letting Simon take his hand back, but continuing to stare at it like it’s a failure. Simon knows that look very well.

“Why don’t you pass me something else to test it, just in case,” Simon says sarcastically, and Raphael looks up at him with frustrated exasperation clear on his face. “We have plastic ones with _straws_ …” he says while scowling, not looking like he wants to risk another glass shattering. Knowing his expensive tastes (which Dimon can appreciate sometimes) they're probably made of crystal or something else extravagant like that. Simon nods his agreement to this solution, and Raphael carefully walks around the glass to hunt them down.

A few moments later, the mess is cleaned up and Simon is drinking his blood out of a plastic cup, that looks all fancy but is obviously not (who knew Raphael even had those?), with a bendy straw and, as a joke, a small paper umbrella. He feels ridiculous next to Raphael, who is drinking his out of a fancy looking cup that looks exactly like the one Simon had shattered four minutes ago. He continues to shoot judgmental looks at Simon’s bendy straw and what he now refers to as his ‘useless left hand’. Simon has decided to not educate his boss on what that term is actually used for.

_Raphael keeps plastic cups, and he honestly thought that everyone could use both hands almost equally._

* * *

The third hour is the kicker.

Meaning that every time Simon opens his mouth, Raphael looks ready to kick him. Which is very fair, in Simon’s opinion; he hasn’t stopped talking for almost three hours, and it’s not like Raphael can escape him for some peace and quiet. They're still stuck together, despite Simon, and Raphael in moments of extreme desperation to get away from Simon, jerking on their joined hands. Their fingers remain locked together and Raphael looks increasingly frustrated with every failed attempt 

“But I’m _totally_ a part of the things-that-go-bump-in-the-night club, I’m a _vampire_!" Simon loudly protests while they’re sitting in the gold room, side by side with their heads thrown back and their joined hands between them. He hears more than sees Raphael sink lower into the golden sofa, looking miserable. “There is _no such thing_ , Simon,” Raphael says once again, sounding absolutely done with him and ready to just end it all. “But-” Raphael cuts him off when he slowly turns his head to look at him with poorly concealed thoughts of homicide written all over his face.

“The only things that go _‘bump in the night’_ around here are the Nephilim during their unscheduled visits and _you_ when you run into my _priceless_ artifacts because of your _shitty stealth and lack of grace_!” 

Raphael is obviously still not over that, despite appearing to be more concerned for Simon’s well-being before, during, and after he had broken the vase than for the vase itself.

“Well, now you can stop me from breaking stuff?” Simon turns his head to look at his leader, a sheepish expression on his face. At Raphael's returning murderous look, he attempts to spread his hands placatingly, but only succeeds in jerking their joined hands awkwardly and knocking a book off of the side table to the left of him. Raphael looks like he’s mentally counting to ten, and Simon wonders if that’s enough time for him to calm down, or if he should be looking for something to defend himself with.

“Sorry?” he tries, looking from Raphael to the book and back again.

“Shut up,” Raphael demands, staring at the ceiling imploringly, like it can fix Simon’s clumsiness.

Eventually, they get up from the couch, neither feeling especially ready to face the rest of the night. Raphael picks the book up on their way out and tucks it under his arm instead of putting it back. Simon isn’t sure how much safer the book is going to be because he’s kinda a package deal with Raphael right now, but he keeps his mouth shut about it. Instead, he talks about the best order to see the Star Wars movies in, and what animal he would be, and what animal _Raphael_ would be, which gets him an odd look but that doesn’t stop him. If getting odd looks stopped Simon Lewis, he would never do anything.

He tells Raphael this, who agrees with him in a bitingly sarcastic tone but gives him a look that’s _almost_ fond before looking back to his book. He isn’t sure how Raphael can walk, read, _and_ steer Simon away from stuff all at the same time, but the other vampire manages it just fine. It must just be a Raphael thing; being better than everyone else with little to no effort on his part.

_Simon learns that Raphael is more patient than he seems._

* * *

By the seventh hour, Raphael looks relieved that it’s time to do something other than walk Simon around like a dog and keep him from destroying everything valuable in the hotel DuMort. Apparently, he never knew how much time Simon spent wandering around, which is most of his waking hours. Unless Clary needs him or something, he just wanders around and looks at stuff. He would totally kick _ass_ at hide-and-seek if the clan ever decided to play.

(“You have a _job_ ,” Raphael stresses around the fifth hour, pulling Simon away from yet _another_ wall. He wasn’t going to run into it anyway, but he thinks it’s nice that Raphael cares so much.

“That job is _absolutely_ made up and you _know_ it, _everyone_ knows it,” Simon replies, letting himself be tugged away.)

The relief on his face evaporates and his expression turns almost pained when Simon points out that they’re going to have to sleep together too. Raphael discreetly tugs on their hands again as if hoping for them to separate, which offends Simon a little bit, but they don’t come unstuck. He’s hit by an odd wave of relief when they don’t, and he tries not to think about why that is. Instead, he talks some more, and watches Raphael’s expression sink even more.

It isn’t until Raphael tosses him some clothes and starts stripping down himself with his one available hand that Simon stops jabbering away, mouth suddenly feeling dry as he stares. It isn’t that Raphael is attractive, he is, but that’s not why Simon stares. He stares at the scars that look like bite marks that were hidden just under the collar of Raphael’s business shirts, the cross burned into the hollow of his throat, the scars on his back. Feeling like he’s seeing something he shouldn't be, Simon slowly turns away as much as he can and starts to change as well, the scars burned into his mind. He knows for a fact that he’s been caught when he glances back and catches Raphael’s eyes and his carefully blank expression. He quickly looks away again and resumes clumsily dressing himself with one hand.

The next time he turns around they’re both dressed and Raphael won’t make eye contact with him. A certain part of Simon's chest aches when he can't cath Raphael's eyes.

Here’s the thing: Simon talks a lot anyway. He talks even more when he’s nervous, and then he gets even more nervous because he’s talking too much and he knows it but he can’t stop-

For once, Raphael doesn’t seem to mind the distraction that is Simon's voice as they lay there, side by side with their hands between them and their eyes on the ceiling, just like in the gold room. Simon eventually stops talking, and the silence remains comfortable as they fall asleep, keeping a respectful distance between them.

Waking up to being kicked off of the bed isn’t a _great_ experience. Neither was landing hard on the cold floor with his arm still up on the bed, his hand trapped by something. Simon sleepily tugs his hand back to him without holding back any strength, and gets an armful (Raphael’s body was fifteen, Simon remembered hearing that somewhere) of startled clan leader on top of him for his troubles. Raphael glares down at him from his position on top of Simon’s stomach, looking tired and rumpled. He lists slightly to the side as if to get off, and Simon’s hands stop him before he even knows what they’re doing. Raphael glares at him and bats his hands away.

“Don’t look at me like that, _you kicked me off the bed!_ ” Simon protests, removing his hands from the older vampire’s sides and watching his face as he eventually decides to stay where he is so that they can continue to argue.

Raphael snorts elegantly, “You were _hogging the blanket_ , fledgling,” he yawns, apparently no longer feeling the need to move anywhere as he settles into a more comfortable position half on top of Simon, resting his head on the junction between his neck and shoulder. His eyes drifted shut again and Simon is not becoming the new mattress, no matter how sleep-warm and comfortable Raphael is.

“So you decided to _hog the bed?_ ” Simon pokes Raphael when he doesn’t get an answer but he only bats at his hands again.

Raphael doesn’t open his eyes, just slurs out something about it being _his bed_ anyway, and him being just fine on the floor, and how _loud_ even _dream Simon_ was. While he kept muttering about stupid fledglings and being comfortable, Simon considers what he was going to do next. Apparently, sleepy _‘this is probably a dream anyway so fuck you’_ Raphael has _zero_ grasp on what's happening around him, because Simon manages to pick him up and get them back into the bed without anything more than a few grumbled protests. Raphael gets to sleep in a bed, Simon gets to help his limbs attached to his body.

_Simon learns that Raphael takes no shit while in his bed._

* * *

Simon doesn’t know how long they’ve been stuck together, but he knows that it’s been around four hours since Raphael started ignoring him. How he manages to do that successfully while being literally _stuck_ to the person he’s ignoring, Simon has no idea. But he does feel very ignored. It's not like there's anything for Raphael to do; after the whole jerking his pen across probably important papers thing, he had quickly informed Lily that she was in charge until he and Simon were no longer stuck together. So all he had been doing was reading and staring moodily at their joined hands. His expression remains smooth no matter what he's doing, like the marble statues that Simon used to make fun of when Clary dragged him to art museums. He looks like the paintings of the angels that people have hung up (which Simon also made fun of) with his big eyes, soft looking lips, and innocent looking face. Almost all of Simon's attempts at conversation absolutely flopped, and he had pretty much run out of things to talk about at this point. Stupidly, he still opens his mouth and says the first thing that comes to mind:

"You're pretty."

Raphael's eyebrows arch sharply towards the ceiling, but he doesn't look over and he doesn't reply. Simon decides that he shouldn't be allowed to talk, _ever_ , and he has the feeling that Raphael would agree with him. He quickly starts to talk about anything and everything again, and Raphael lets him. He even ignores him slightly less; or at least that's how Simon is going to take the signal of Raphael squeezing his hand so briefly he questions if it even happened at all. After that, the silence bothers him less, and he ends up napping most of the day with Raphael reading by his side. And if he wakes up with his head in Raphael's lap, he pretends not to and smiles slightly as he goes back to sleep. 

Later, when he's drinking blood out of another plastic cup with a bendy straw next to Raphael with his ,fancy crystal glass, he feels closer to his clan leader than he has to anyone ever since this entire mess started. He feels closer to him than he does to _Clary_. "How's the book?" Simon asks, looking over at Raphael. The older vampire hums noncommittally, calmly flipping a page in his book. Simon knows for a fact that he's already finished it, just like he knows that Raphael isn't really reading it anymore; he's been using it to stare at Simon without the other knowing, as if to make sure he's okay but also not wanting to show concern. It becomes _obvious_ to Simon that Raphael has never tried to stare discreetly instead of staring to intimidate, because he's awful at it, but Simon guesses that it's the thought behind the gesture that counts.

_Simon learns that Raphael feels showing care is a weakness, and he does it anyway because he doesn't know how to not._

* * *

The hours have stopped mattering as much, and Simon finds himself losing track of them as he spends the time either wandering around or lazing about with Raphael. Their favorite room to stay in during the night has become the gold room, even though Raphael _obviously_ dislikes the room and Simon finds the sheer amount of the color _obnoxious_. He doesn't know why they keep coming back to it, and he doesn't know why Raphael has kept the same book by his side for two days. Simon feels a little like the book, honestly; he's been by Raphael's side, caught in his gaze that has become more and more relaxed the more time they spend together, and no matter how long Raphael looks at him he never seems to get bored or want to look elsewhere.

Things don't really change, even when Raphael falls asleep and just flops over onto Simon's legs, similar to the way that Simon has done to him. It's briefly alarming to suddenly have a lap-full of a sleeping Raphael, but Simon relaxes fairly quickly and stays still. The only movement he makes is to move his head to look down at Raphael instead of at the ceiling. His face is slightly scrunched up, and it's pretty cute to see him like this. Simon hadn't really given Raphael's smaller size serious thought, mostly because he was too intimidated to do so. Now, he realizes that Raphael is small and young; he's soft in a way that you can't really see when he's awake. Simon thinks he looks helpless and too young.

Until Raphael bites him.

It isn't hard enough to draw blood, or to even rip the fabric of his pants, but Simon's surprised gasp does wake Raphael up. The other looks shaken by whatever was in his dream, and before he can think of a better idea, Simon drags Raphael into his arms and holds him like he used to with Clary. What surprises him is the way that the older vampire melts against him, and the way it reminds him of his sister when she had a nightmare. Simon remembers Raphael telling him about the nightmares that most vampires have, and how there isn't really a way to get rid of them, and he wonders if Raphael still has those, even now. He wants to ask, but Raphael doesn't look like he wants to say anything, so Simon does what he does best: he talks. Simon talks enough for the both of them, until Raphael is sitting up and picking his book up off of the floor. Eventually he joins in on the one-sided conversation, and Simon learns more about Raphael, specifically his religion.

_Simon learns that Raphael Santiago, for all of his expensive suits and bravado, believes he is damned._

* * *

They're laying in bed, and over the nights spent there the distance between them has diminished, going from polite to fond to whatever it should be called when they're wrapped around each other like lovers. Simon hasn't hogged the blanket again (now there's two, so they each can have one, but Simon is so wrapped around Raphael that he doesn't need his own anymore) and Raphael hasn't kicked him out of the bed again. Simon often wakes up wrapped around Raphael's back, their joined hands curled against the other's chest as he sleeps. Raphael is pretty when he sleeps, all relaxed and young looking. Sometimes Simon watches him, and thinks about how young Raphael was when he was turned against his will, and feels sadness wash through him. As much as he didn't want to be turned, he at least had Clary, and now he had Raphael. Raphael only had Magnus, and Simon honestly can't imagine how _lonely_ that must have been.

Sometimes Raphael catches him staring and catches his eyes before smiling a little bit and whispering things about how ' _important sleep is for growing vampires_ '. Simon will smile, and tease him about ' _old men needing sleep_ ', and then they'll both roll over giggling like teenagers and go back to sleep. And it's _good_ , it's _so good_. Simon hasn't felt this way, this _comfortable_ being with someone, since Clary, and he _loves_ it. He _loves_ how the word 'fledgling' quickly becomes an _endearment_ , _loves_ how Raphael sometimes calls him _'baby'_ and looks at him fondly.

One night, Simon says something and Raphael laughs softly and it hits him-

This _isn't_ how it's always going to be. Things can't stay this way, they can't be stuck together _forever_.

So Simon quickly leans over Raphael's shoulder and presses a shy kiss to his mouth before retreating back to his side of the bed. Raphael stays frozen for a few seconds that feel like an eternity, before rolling over and looking at Simon with an expression his jumbled brain can't name. Simon meets his eyes before flicking his gaze away, suddenly unsure because things couldn't stay like that forever, but maybe he should have just enjoyed it while it lasted and-

And Raphael is smiling at him, grinning at him, as he crawls over into Simon's arms and whispers, "You're an _idiota_ , baby," fondly against his lips before pushing himself just that much closer and pressing their lips together much more gracefully than Simon had a few seconds ago. 

It's near the end of the week when Simon leans over and kisses Raphael again while the other vampire is reading, when Simon learns that _Raphael loves him_.

* * *

Three days later, Magnus in strutting around the gold room while talking about possible solutions and things he might be able to do. Simon expects Raphael to go back into his shell when he realizes that he can be free of him, but he stays loose and relaxed against Simon's side, looking thoughtful. It's almost like he never thought this day would come, that they would eventually be separated. Simon pulls him a little bit closer, and Raphael lets him without complaint. He knows that Magnus notices their positions, and is a little disappointed that the warlock doesn't say anything but casts a knowing look in his direction. Still, he tries to remain still while Magnus chants around him and Raphael, blue sparks flying and joined hands squeezing. It's over soon enough, and Simon's chest feels a little hollow when Magnus tells them to try to reclaim their respective hands.

This time, when they tug on their joined hands, they come apart like they had never been stuck together.

Simon flexes his fingers and stares at his hand, glad to have it back but missing Raphael's. The warlock leaves after a while, and Simon shoots glances at Raphael, who gets up and holds out his hand for Simon to get up. It makes something is him shine, that Raphael hasn't just left him all alone yet. As soon as he's off of the couch, Raphael releases his hand again, and he feels lost and more than a little hurt before he feels Raphael grab his left hand instead of his right. He looks down at Raphael who won't meet his eyes but mutters, "those bendy straws are _ridiculous_ ," before tugging him out of the gold room and down the hallway. Simon almost trips and Raphael laughs at him while steadying him. He doesn't let go of Simon's hand, and Simon doesn't let go of his.

_Simon learns that he loves Raphael._


End file.
